 The Psalm writer wrote: Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received. This is the word of God. It is eternally true and applicable for all of life. Proverbs 17: 1-10 Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it Than a house full of feasting with strife. A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully, And will share in the inheritance among brothers. The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold But the Lord tests hearts. An evildoer listens to wicked lips; A liar pays attention to a destructive tongue. He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker; He who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished. Grandchildren are the crown of old men, And the glory of sons is their fathers. Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool, Much less are lying lips to a prince. A bribe is a charm in the sight of its owner; Wherever he turns, he prospers. He who conceals a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends. A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding Than a hundred blows into a fool. Silver has a melting point of 1763 degrees. Gold, 1943 degrees. That’s pretty hot. In those temperatures, without special protection, we would not last very long. At those temperatures, when silver and gold are refined, all impurities are purged from them, and what remains is pure. How hot does it have to get to melt gold? Think of smeagol and his precious in the fires of Mordor. The Proverb tells us this morning that “The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests hearts.” Ask Job about being tested by God. Look to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, literally thrown into a furnace. Paul, with his thorn in the flesh. Consider Jeremiah Thomas, fighting for his life against cancer. Or Pastor Mark, with the pressures of being an operations manager. How are you being tested this morning? Paul tells us in Philippians that it has been granted for Christ’s sake not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for his sake. This conforms us into the image of Christ. How are you suffering, how are you being tested today? Are you suffering well? Perhaps you have some strained relationship, with a friend, co-worker, or family member that is testing your patience. Maybe a disobedient child has you feeling powerless and frazzled. It could be that life seems to be coming at you from 10 different directions, and your time seems to be monopolized by everyone else. Brothers and sisters, where do your hopes lie? When we get thrown into the furnace of testing, we can respond 1 of 2 ways: we can doubt God’s promises, or trust Him. We can seek to protect ourselves in those times when trials come, and they will come, or, we can run to the only refuge we have, Christ Jesus. Let us trust in Christ, our Good Shepherd, who goes before us into battle and knows a little something about trials and refining. Please kneel with me as we confess how we have broken God’s commands in our failure to trust in Him in the midst of testing. Heavenly Father, LORD, please grant us hearts and minds that recognize our sins before You this morning. Please grant us repentant hearts, that we might turn from trusting in our weak frame, and trust instead in Your Son Jesus, our Saviour. Father, we shift back and forth like waves tossed to and fro between faith and unbelief, and when trials comes, this double-mindedness becomes even more apparent. Father, please forgive us for doubting You. Please forgive us for trusting in the weak flesh of men, and our own strength, rather than in the One You sent to set us free from bondage. Lord, please help us to remember that You send us trials, to test our hearts, and refine us, and this is actually evidence of our relationship to You as sons and daughters. Help us oh Lord to remember that a Father disciplines the son whom He loves. Help us to welcome the testing with gladness, the persecution with joy, the whirlwind with shouts of praise to You, that the heathen might see and be led to repentance. It’s in Christ Jesus name we pray, Amen. Listen now to the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the gospel to all that believe: John 1: 9-13 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. Lift your hearts up to the Lord!!! (From the 4/29/18 liturgy of Sovereign King Church. Written by Aaron Sabie.)
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 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. Luke 1:26-28 The angel Gabriel sent by God to herald a message of good news came to Mary and said
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” Wait a second. Nope that’s not what he said. He does say Hail or as our translation says “Greetings.” The word Hail is a greeting that means “Rejoice.” Take heart. Be of joy. Be Happy. Why is Mary to be happy? Is it because she was born sinless and has served God so well that she has earned his favor and thus God just had to send an angel to tell her? No. She is a sinner born with sinful parents. She needs a redeemer. In Luke 1:47 during her song of joy she proclaims her thankfulness at having a redeemer. Mary needs a redeemer. She is not a co-redeemer. She needs a savior. Why should she rejoice? The angel says “that art highly favoured” in the King James. You have found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Now this doesn’t mean that Mary was searching for favor. The Bible tells us that no one seeks after good. It wasn’t that Mary was searching and searching and finally found it. No it was that God had decided by his good mercy to pour out his grace on Mary and to give her his blessing. She found what she wasn’t even looking for. She found favor by God. The scriptures give us several accounts of people finding favor with God. Genesis 6 says "Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." God’s grace was poured out on Noah not because of anything in Noah but because of God’s good mercy. Mary found favor in the eyes of the Lord, not because of anything in her but because of the great mercy of God. It is unmerited favor. Mary is full of grace not because she has merited it or earned grace. Nor is she some kind of dispenser of grace to others. Mary has found favor with the Lord and thus the Lord is with her. The angel adds that the Lord is with thee. To those on Whom God bestows his favor “he crowns them with loving-kindness,” (Psa_103:4.) He promises to be with them. God promised to be with Mary. The Final part of the Angel’s greeting is that “she is blessed among women.” Because she has found favor with God and because he is with her, she is blessed. God pours out his blessings upon those he shows grace to. What good news this is for sinners like us! God not only shows us favor and grace but he promises to be with us. And then he also pours out his blessings upon us. The word blessed does not mean worthy of praise but rather it means to be happy. It is to receive gifts from God that will bring us to true joy in Him. God lavishes his kindness upon the people he chooses as his own. Mary was chosen by God and He promised to be with her and He gave her blessings. Among women fallen by the curse, God would make her happy. This blessing was the blessing of a child. Children are a gift from God. They are blessings. Mary would be blessed with a child. This was God’s favor on her. We live in a world that hates children. Even Christian, struggle with seeing God’s blessings as blessings. It takes faith to see children as a blessing. Our sinful nature doesn’t see the gifts of God as blessings. Let me say something that few of us will dare to admit. In our sinfulness, we are all capable of killing our children. We are all capable of getting so angry, we could kill them. This is true for every parent who has ever lived. How wicked our sinful nature is. Yet God says children are a blessing. It takes the gift of faith for us to see it. God had given Mary a child to make her happy but think of the excruciating pain he brought her. She watched as he was publicly scourged. She watched as his body was shamefully exposed and hung on a cross like meat on a skewer. Was this child a blessing to her then even as she watched her Son die? Yes even in the pain, especially in the pain, this child was a blessing not only for her but for all who have faith. He is the savior of her and all who like her have been given the unmerited favor of God. Mary is blessed because her son was her savior. She received the grace of God through faith in Him. “But if Mary’s happiness, righteousness, and life, flow from the undeserved love of God, if her virtues and all her excellence are nothing more than the Divine kindness,” John Calvin says “it is the height of absurdity to tell us that we should seek from her what she derives from another quarter in the same manner as ourselves. With extraordinary ignorance have the Papists, by an enchanter’s trick, changed this salutation into a prayer, and have carried their folly so far, that their preachers are not permitted, in the pulpit, to implore the grace of the Spirit, except through their Hail, Mary But not only are these words a simple congratulation. They unwarrantably assume an office which does not belong to them, and which God committed to none but an angel.” And listen to this last part: “Their silly ambition leads them into a second blunder, for they salute a person who is absent.” It is absolutely stupid, foolish, superstitious, blasphemous, and wicked how the Roman Catholic Church has abused this text of scripture and turned what is a wonderful picture of the doctrines of grace into an idolatrous practice that Mary herself would condemn. Prayers to saints and to Mary are foolish and blasphemous but we shouldn’t let the abuses of the apostate Roman church make us ashamed of Mary or any of the rest of the saints. The saints y belong to us not the Roman Catholic Church. Rome has perverted the teaching of scripture to create a whole pantheon to which they give worship calling it veneration. This perversion is not the teaching found in scripture or even in the early church. Roman Catholicism has left the Catholic faith delivered once and for all to the saints. For Example, after considering the use of similar words in Syriac, Greek and Latin in the 6th century, Herbert Thurston, writing in the Catholic Encyclopedia concludes that "there is little or no trace of the Hail Mary as an accepted devotional formula before about 1050 AD.” That means for the first 1000 years of the church no one had heard of this devilish invention. We need not let the embarrassment that is the apostate church in Rome have us give over Mary to them nor the saints. What do I mean by Saints? Paul writes often to the churches calling them saints or sanctified ones. They are set a part ones. Everyone who is in Christ is a saint. Jesus did not set up an office in the church to canonize people into some kind of pantheon of lesser gods. God's elect are saints and he has them all throughout history. We have a great cloud of witnesses of saints from the Old Testament church and an ever growing cloud of witnesses from the New Testament church. We can look back at their example, see their failings, be inspired by their faith, and learn from their testimony. We can honor those whom God raised up throughout church history. To us belongs the prophets and the apostles. We get to honor the great saints like Augustine, Perpetua, Athanasius, Nicholas, Francis, Patrick of Ireland, Justin Martyr, Ignatius, Polycarp, Wycliffe, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Pierre Viret, John Knox, Beza, Farel, Tyndale, Zwingli, Edwards, Whitefield, Spurgeon, Lloyd Jones, Rushdoony, Bahnsen, Sproul, Zastrow, Thomas, Cox, Sabie, Johnson, and Carmack. We are saints being built upon the prophets and apostles. Let us not be ashamed to speak of Mary and to honor her. The early church called her the Mother of God. Not because she was deity or God but because they were fighting to defend the deity of Christ. We can honor all the saints by giving all praise, adoration, and veneration to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit alone. And then let us follow in their train as we take up our cross daily to follow Christ.  Luke 1:26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth The Angel is sent by God with a message. He is a royal messenger and he is sent by God above. Surely, he is bringing a message to Washington DC. If not Washington DC, he is at least coming to New York City to appear on the nightly news. There is a new king coming. Let’s call a press conference and get all the media together. You got the Jerusalem Post there, check. The Babylonian Times, check. Rome Street Journal, check . The Nightly News with Josephus, check. We have a messenger from God. The royal herald is surely sent to Rome to speak to the court of the Emperor.
Nope, the messenger goes to a city in Galilee named Nazareth. City is actually quite the overstatement. For one thing, Nazareth was a small village during the days of Jesus, perhaps boasting a population of only a few hundred. Most of the people in the town were related. They were a clan from the line of David and had settled in the town after returning from captivity. This is not the New York city of the Ancient Near East. This is more like Memphis, Indiana then Louisville. Nazareth did not have the greatest of reputations politically. Following the death of Herod the Great in 4 BC, the Roman armory in Sepphoris (four miles from Nazareth) was robbed, and the Romans retaliated by crucifying 2,000 Jews. Sepphoris was burned to the ground, and its inhabitants were sold into slavery. A decade later when Jesus was just a boy, Judas the Galilean got tired of theft, I mean taxation and began a revolt. This too evoked another crackdown by the Romans. Many were also crucified. Nazareth doesn’t have the greatest of reputations. It's looked down upon. Its the west side of Louisville. Its Shively. The Angel of the Lord comes to this town to announce the coming birth of Christ. And not to the whole town but to a woman, not to any woman but to a virgin who was betrothed to be married. Now we live in an age where the idea of being a virgin before you are married is sadly strange. We think "virgin Mary, well she must be so holy. " Yes, we should learn from her example. Young men and women you should learn from the chastity of Mary but we should be clear that this isn't abnormal. Sex is meant to happen in marriage. To be a virgin before you are married is to be the norm. Young Women and Men, the normal expected behavior from God is that you will be a virgin when you are married. Don’t let this world tell you that is strange or abnormal. This world is the one that is corrupt and unusual. Contrary to the Roman Catholics, Mary was a normal young woman from a small town in Galilee. There is nothing so holy within herself that she had to be selected by God. Rather what we will see is the favor of the Lord on her to make her Holy. The messenger of God comes to a lowly and humble settlement made up of people who should be royal blood but they had long forgotten what it was like to be a part of that line. John Calvin says that: "The treasure of this mystery was committed by him to a virgin in such a manner, that at length, when the proper time came, it might be communicated to all the godly. It was, I own, a mean kind of guardianship; but whether for trying the humility of faith, or restraining the pride of the ungodly, it was the best adapted." What he is saying is that the announcement of the coming birth of the Messiah king didn’t come with great fanfare. It wasn’t even like the announcement of the pregnancy of Elizabeth with John. Gabriel had appeared to the father of John in the temple. It is a big deal that Elizabeth is pregnant. Many are talking about it. But here is Mary, a virgin, alone. This message is coming to her alone and others will have to take her word for it. It’s a humble announcement with the possibility of great shame upon Mary. She has a fiancé but is going to have a baby that isn’t his. She will bear great shame and there will be no one around to confirm the appearance of the angel. That is why John Calvin says this announcement works to try the humility of faith and restrain the pride of the ungodly. It will be quite the stumbling block to the Jews. Jesus will claim to be the son of God while being born to a woman claiming to have been a virgin when she gave birth. Jesus comes into the world in humble means. He is the king of the universe. All things that have been made were made by him and for him. He was in the beginning with God and was God. He is the alpha and omega. And he comes into the world in Nazareth. Can anything good come from Nazareth?. Jesus, the Messiah and reigning king, came not to be served but to serve. He came humbly not with great fanfare but born in a stable. The bible says God is opposed to the proud and gives grace to the humble. Jesus Christ was humble. As we think of this angel Gabriel coming to Nazareth, let us remember humility. God is still opposed to the proud and he still gives grace to the humble. God is still with the downtrodden. He is still a God that cares for those who bow their heart before him. He is with the humble. He is with the poor in spirit. This doesn’t necessarily mean poor in wallet. There are plenty of prideful people in poverty. We all know that Prospect Kentucky looks down its nose at Shively. We all know that Floyd Knobs thinks lowly of Jeffersonville. That’s easy to see. But we also know that Shively looks down on Prospect. "That’s where all those snooty snobs live." We also know that people are constantly competing to show off their possessions now matter how meager they are. You drive out to Prospect and its all the nice manicured “get off my lawn” kind of lawns. When I first came to Louisville 6 and half years ago, I worked at Valvoline Instant Oil Change in Shively. This was right on the line between the ghetto side and the trailer park side of Louisville. People on one side of the high way where rednecks, what some might call the white trash side. On the other side was the ghetto. It we are honest, this place isn't aint known for having nice homes. Yet this Valvoline store did the most business of all the Valvolines in Louisville. People who don’t live in any kind of house still roll up in the Valvoline with Cadillacs and Mustangs all pimped out. They would roll through that Valvoline once a month to get an oil change. They were proud of that car and they took care of it like a baby. That store made more money than the Valvoline in Prospect. This was a point of pride. You don’t have to be wealthy to be prideful. But God is opposed to the proud. Christ didn’t come to live in a mansion or drive a pimped out Camero. He came to a small town in Galilee. Let us set aside all pride and pretension. Brothers and Sisters, you don’t have to drive a Cadillac to be prideful. Far too often we are proudful of the blessings that God has given us. There is a fine line between being please and satisfied with the gifts that God has given you and being prideful. I am quite pleased that God has given us Sovereign King Church. This Church is a gift from God. All that we have are gifts from him. Let us take joy in him. If any of us boast, let us boast in him. Let us not be like King Nebuchadnezzar and look on what God has made and say “look at my kingdom.” Let us be humble.  The Psalm writer wrote: Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received. This is the word of God. It is eternally true and applicable for all of life. Proverbs 16:23-33 The heart of the wise instructs his mouth And adds persuasiveness to his lips. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. A worker’s appetite works for him, For his hunger urges him on. A worthless man digs up evil, While his words are like scorching fire. A perverse man spreads strife, And a slanderer separates intimate friends. A man of violence entices his neighbor And leads him in a way that is not good. He who winks his eyes does so to devise perverse things; He who compresses his lips brings evil to pass. A gray head is a crown of glory; It is found in the way of righteousness. He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city. The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord. There is a way that seems right to a man, but it's end is the way of death. Nowhere is this more clearly on display that at the abortion mill or our Thunder Over Louisville outreach. Mother's reject God's Word as they march in one after the other to murder their children, trading the life of their child for the plans of their heart. As men of God preach, women share their faith, and children bear witness to the fact that they are a blessing from the Lord, the crowds mock, scoff, and reject the Word of God. They throw off all restraint, and set their faces and hardened hearts down a path which God tells us will lead them to death. We fear for these image bearers, so we plead for their souls. What about you? Are there any areas of your life where you reject the authority of God's Word and replace it with the plans of your heart? What is that one thing you are engaged in, that one area of your life that you have compartmentalized and said “God can have His way in my life everywhere but here”? When we hear the pastor say “This is the Word of God. It is eternally true and applicable for all of life”, do we really believe that, or do we have some place within our hearts where no one but God can see, where we “secretly” supplant Gods plan with our own? Brothers and sisters, this ought not be. This way leads to death. The outward display of rejecting the authority of God is often easy to recognize, but those internal rebellions can be more subtle. Think of the cup that is clean on the outside, while inside it is filthy, contaminated. Let us kneel and cry out to God for mercy where we have devised our own plans contrary to God's will. Dear Merciful Heavenly Father, You are worthy of all praise and honor and glory. You are Holy Holy Holy, and we are men, women, boys and girls of unclean lips, with hearts full of the plans of our own imaginations, rather than Your will. Lord it is easy for us to recognize the speck of disobedience in the lives of others, while the plank of rejecting Your plans blinds our vision. Please forgive us for seeking to replace Your will with ours.Outward displays of rejecting Your Holy will are readily apparent, while the hatred of Your will hidden within our hearts is often times harder to recognize. It's subtle, deceptive, and oftentimes has the appearance of godliness, but in the end rejects Your power. Please help us Oh Lord to recognize all the areas hidden within our hearts where we pursue plans according to our will be done, rather than Your will be done. It’s in the mighty name of Your son Jesus that we pray, Amen. Listen now to the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the gospel to all that believe: Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite. Lift up your hearts!!! (From the 4-22-18 liturgy of Sovereign King Church written by Aaron Sabie.)
 Yesterday, we published an article by Ben Carmack called “Speaking Frankly on Sodomy” dealing with the response of Presbyterian elder Mike Pompeo to Sen Booker asking “if being Gay is a perversion” You can read for yourself the whole article here. A few people online took issue with Mr. Carmack’s statement that “we have ceased using the term “sodomite” or “sodomy” when speaking of those tempted to same-sex intimacy and of the indecent acts they are tempted to perform.” The complaints ranged from the use of the word “sodomy” is unnecessarily inflammatory to arguing that the word “homosexual” predates the LGBT movement. The main thing that all the complaints had in common was that they did not see how the change from “sodomy” to “homosexuality” to "same-sex attraction" was all that big of a deal. One person sent me a google books ngram viewer tracing the word sodomy and homosexual over the 20th century as proof that the word sodomy wasn’t used. Notwithstanding the fact that the google books ngram viewer has some legitimate accuracy problems that Wire has documented here, I decided to expand the graph to the 1600s. I think the discerning reader will see that this graph rather than disproving Ben’s theory highlights it.  The Huffington Post wrote this article about the man who coined the term “Homosexual.” This is what they said “Kertbeny’s role in fighting for gay rights is rarely mentioned. His one lasting legacy was that he was the man who invented homosexuality, or to be more precise, the one who coined the terms “homosexual” and “heterosexual.” Kertbeny felt that the common phrases of the day were unfairly pejorative and wanted more neutral terms.” Notice that the reason for the new word is to provide a neutral term that softens the blow of pejoratives like “sodomy.” Now why is “sodomy” a pejorative? Because it shows the end result of the act. If we are completely honest, the reason people don’t like the word is precisely why we should be using it. They don’t like the fact that it contains within it the idea of God’s judgment. Everyone knows what happened to Sodom because of their abominable and perverse acts. That is why they hate the word and consider it a pejorative. It has the sting of shame and judgment right within the word. The two things our sinful nature hates more than anything is shame and judgment. Yet both shame and judgment are the precise thing that those tempted to this sin need to hear about it. They need to know that this crime of Sodom brings with it shame and the judgment of God. The most loving thing they can hear is "stay away from this shameful act that brings the judgment of God. Flee the shame and judgment and look to Christ who can forgive." They don’t need a clinical and neutral term. Nor do they need a term that can become their identity. Historian and philosopher Michel Foucault argued in his book “The history of Sexuality” that homosexual and heterosexual identities didn't emerge until the 19th century. Prior to that time, the terms described practices and not identity. The word “sodomy” and “sodomite” describe shameful practices and a label for those who practice them. It is similar to the word theft and thief. One is a thief when he commits theft. Thief is not an identity however to latch onto. You can search high and low in your Bible but you will not find the idea of sexual orientation. You will see the use of terms to describe those who practice indecent acts and are given to unnatural desire. Even Wikipedia understands that the use of the term Sodomy has been the regular practice of the church for years. This is what it says “The term is derived from the Biblical tale of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Christian churches have referred to the crimen sodomitae (crime of the Sodomites) for centuries.” For example, “in the early 5th century, Jerome, a priest, historian, and theologian used the forms Sodoman, in Sodomis, Sodomorum, Sodomæ, Sodomitæ.” Having said all of that, are we arguing that you must always use the word “sodomy” and never the word “homosexuality?” No. That was not even the main point of Mr. Carmack’s article. His point was that we need to be able to say clearly that homosexuality/sodomy is wicked, perverse, shameful, and harmful. We better not speak about it in precious words. Nor should we be ashamed to say the truth. The lives of people caught in this abominable act are at stake and they don’t need Christians especially elders and pastors to be ashamed of the truth. They don’t need us to soft-peddle this. No matter how much you try to put on a smile and use the word “gospel”, you are not helping anyone nor honoring the Lord when you soften the blow of sin. Our Lord and Savior died a bloody and shameful death for sin, sin like this. We are not honoring him by talking about sin in precious ways, no matter how many times we say the word "gospel." So whatever word you use, make sure that you convey the shamefulness that this sin brings. It harms the bodies and souls of people tempted to it. People’s souls are at stake. Furthermore, this sin is not only a sign of God’s judgment but it brings God’s judgment upon churches and nations that tolerate it. Leviticus 20:22-23 “‘Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. Pastors, seminary professors, and denomination leaders who are helping to remove the shame from this sin are hastening the judgment of God upon this nation. They may not be long for this world, but our children and grandchildren will be here and they will suffer as God pours out his judgment. As a pastor, I have no patience for pastors who are ashamed to speak to this issue with the blunt truth. I want to leave you with this excerpt from a sermon by John Chrysostom. He was one of the most well know Christian preachers during the late 300s AD. Compare this with how precious our modern teachers speak. May God raise up more men with the golden tongue of John Chrysostom. "(T)hese I say are even worse than murderers: since to die even is better than to live under such insolency. For the murderer dissevers the soul from the body, but this man ruins the soul with the body. And name what sin you will, none will you mention equal to this lawlessness. And if they that suffer such things perceived them, they would accept ten thousand deaths so they might not suffer this evil. For there is not, there surely is not, a more grievous evil than this insolent dealing. For if when discoursing about fornication Paul said, that "Every sin which a man does is without the body, but he that commits fornication sins against his own body" 1 Corinthians 6:18; what shall we say of this madness, which is so much worse than fornication as cannot even be expressed? For I should not only say that you have become a woman, but that you have lost your manhood, and hast neither changed into that nature nor kept that which you had, but you have been a traitor to both of them at once, and deserving both of men and women to be driven out and stoned, as having wronged either sex. And that you may learn what the real force of this is, if any one were to come and assure you that he would make you a dog instead of being a man, would you not flee from him as a plague? But, lo! You have not made yourself a dog out of a man, but an animal more disgraceful than this. For this is useful unto service, but he that has thus given himself up is serviceable for nothing. Or again, if any one threatened to make men travail and be brought to bed, should we not be filled with indignation? But lo! now they that have run into this fury have done more grievously by themselves. For it is not the same thing to change into the nature of women, as to continue a man and yet to have become a woman; or rather neither this nor that. But if you would know the enormity of the evil from other grounds, ask on what account the lawgivers punish them that make men eunuchs, and you will see that it is absolutely for no other reason than because they mutilate nature. And yet the injustice they do is nothing to this. For there have been those that were mutilated and were in many cases useful after their mutilation. But nothing can there be more worthless than a man who has pandered himself. For not the soul only, but the body also of one who has been so treated, is disgraced, and deserves to be driven out everywhere. How many hells shall be enough for such? But if you scoff at hearing of hell and believest not that fire, remember Sodom. For we have seen, surely we have seen, even in this present life, a semblance of hell. For since many would utterly disbelieve the things to come after the resurrection, hearing now of an unquenchable fire, God brings them to a right mind by things present. For such is the burning of Sodom, and that conflagration! And they know it well that have been at the place, and have seen with their eyes that scourge divinely sent, and the effect of the lightnings from above." Written by Joseph Spurgeon
 The Psalm writer wrote: Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received. This is the word of God. It is eternally true and applicable for all of life: Proverbs 15:11-20 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord. How much more Humans are religious creatures. John Calvin says that our hearts are “idol making factories”. Those that are religious become very adept at displaying the outward raiment of their professed God. One need not look further than march madness to see a very public display of religion by the worshipers of a little round ball and a game: Team Jersey, check. ESPN cable package, check. Season tickets, check. Christians are no different. We listen to all the right podcasts, have our christianese finely tuned to our particular reformed circle, and even conform our physical appearance to match our particular theological bent: tweed jackets, and beards, and plaid shirts. But all of these outward displays of religion are quickly cut in two this morning by God's very sharp sword. “Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD. How much more the hearts of men!” God knows what is in our hearts. He knows what the true object of our worship is, despite our cleverly crafted outward appearance and practices . God is fully aware of our practice of worshipping Him with our mouths while our hearts are far from Him. Jesus, knowing the heart of man, called the Pharisees “whitewashed tombs “, full of dead men's bones. This knowledge should bring the fear and dread of the LORD into our hearts, and lead us to repentance. So, let us respond to God's Word appropriately this morning. If you are able,please kneel as we confess to God how we have failed to keep His Law: Most High God, our Heavenly Father, We come to you this morning, having had our hearts exposed by Your Word. Heavenly Father, you remember our frames, that we are men of dust, weak, frail, and full of sin. Father we sin against you in our words, thoughts, and deeds, and we worship the thing created rather than worshiping You, our Creator. LORD, please be merciful to us sinners. Please grant us repentance that we may walk in a manner that is pleasing to You. Please forgive us for our sins against You O Lord. Please grant us greater discernment, that we may more readily recognize the idols around us, and in our hearts, and please give us strength to be able to turn from these false gods and worship you alone. LORD, please help us to fear You, and to hate every worthless thing that seeks to dethrone You from our hearts. It's in the name of Your precious Son Jesus that we pray, Amen. Listen now to the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the gospel to all that believe: Luke 10: 19-20 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and Lift up your hearts!!!! (From the liturgy of Sovereign King Church written by Aaron Sabie. March 2018)
 The Psalm writer wrote: Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received. This is the word of God. It is eternally true and applicable for all of life: Proverbs 16:12- 22- It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts, For a All authority is from God, whether it be the authority given to a king, a president, a pastor, or a judge. This week, we have seen the abuse of authority by those entrusted to exercise it faithfully: warfare waged without congressional approval; twisting of God’s Word at T4G to further an agenda of faux justice, devoid of true biblical repentance and reconciliation; a so called justice system meant to punish evildoers being utilized to harass faithful Christians, while the true perpetrators of wickedness go unpunished. The Proverb today tells us that : “ It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts, for a throne is established on righteousness”. Rulers who commit wicked acts abuse the authority granted to them from God, and God calls it abominable. Wicked, abusive authority is abominable because the source of all authority, Jesus Christ, is righteous, perfect, and always does the Father's will, and He is our example. These very public displays of wickedness from rulers catch our attention, yet, our own private abuses of authority are no less despicable in God's eyes. As Mothers and Fathers, Husbands and wives, Pastors, managers, employees, homemakers, children, have you been faithful stewards of the authority God has granted to you this week? Whatever realm of life you find yourself exercising authority granted to you from God, are you doing so for His glory, or yours? Are you seeking to build His kingdom, or are you looking to reign over your own little empire? Abusing authority amounts to a failure to love the Lord your God, and your neighbor as yourself. Let us confess this morning how we often fail to keep God’s Law by abusing the authority He grants us. Please join me in kneeling if you are able. Dear Heavenly Father, from the most obvious outward sin, to the seemingly smallest internal infraction of Your Law, we are guilty. Our sins are to the heavens Oh Lord, and no amount of working, cleansing, or hiding by us can appease the wrath that our sins deserve. Lord, often we become arrogant and prideful, taking the authority granted to us by You, and use it in self-serving ways, lording over others, grasping for authority that has not been granted, twisting Your word to selfish ends. Father, we are mere worms, but oftentimes arrogantly believe that the authority You grant us, is due to some inherent trait of leadership, or ability, or goodness within us. Help us to remember that thrones, and all authority, are established on Your Righteousness. Please show us grace and mercy Lord. Please grant us repentance in this area that we do not deserve. Please forgive us for seeking to usurp Your authority based upon righteousness, and replacing it with our own which is tainted with selfishness, and pride. It’s in Jesus name we pray, Amen. Listen now to the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the gospel to all that believe: Romans 10 : 5 -10 For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness Lift up your hearts!!!! (From the liturgy of Sovereign King Church. Written by Aaron Sabie, April 16, ,2018)
 The Psalm writer wrote: Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received. This is the word of God. It is eternally true and applicable for all of life. Proverbs 14:17-21 A Easily enticed, believing every word, misled and going back, all describe the state of the naive. Their minds are so open, that their brains fall out. Because of this they inherit foolishness, they are given over to debased minds to do things they know ought not be done. There is no fear of the LORD before their eyes. This is contrasted with the sensible, who is crowned with knowledge. The sensible man is one who trusts in the LORD with all his heart. The sensible man fears the LORD. Where do you find yourself this morning? Are you naive, being tossed to and fro by every new fad, every good story that tickles your ear? Are you tempted to lean on your understanding as you navigate tough issues in your life? Broken relationships, financial crisis, disobedient children, and frustration of things not being right, mark our lives in this fallen world. How do you respond? By leaning on your own wisdom, or fearing the LORD? Seeking counsel from sources not from GOD, or turning to scripture and leaning not on your own understanding? Let us confess how we have failed to keep God’s Law: Dear Gracious Heavenly Father, As we kneel here this morning, showing outward displays of humbleness, I pray that you would grant us humble, repentant hearts as well. LORD, we are men and women of dust, and though we have been called out of darkness into your marvelous light, though we have tasted and seen that YOU are good, temptations to trust our feelings, what the world tells us, and the whisperings of the wicked one persist. LORD, we are weak and frail. We can do nothing apart from YOU. Apart from YOU, our best understanding of life is foolishness. Please be merciful to us O LORD. Please forgive us for trusting in our understanding of things, rather than in YOU and the wisdom from above. LORD, in areas of our lives where we are currently striving in the flesh, in relationship issues, family struggles, financial difficulties, uncertainties of the future, please help us to walk in the Spirit, where YOU are. Heavenly Father, please help us to be lowly and humble, doing YOUR will, as YOUR Son Jesus is. Father, please show us grace that we might fear YOU. We are so arrogant and proud, thinking that it is our strength and wisdom which sustains us. Please forgive us. LORD, please help us to forgive those who have sinned against us, and please forgive us for striving with sinful man in ways that do not honor you. It’s in Jesus name we pray, Amen. Listen now to the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the gospel to all that believe: And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly Lift up your hearts!!!! (From the liturgy of Sovereign King Church. Written by Aaron Sabie.)
 The Psalm writer wrote: Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received. This is the word of God. It is eternally true and applicable for all of life: Proverbs 15:1-10 A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up James, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said that the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of life.A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 recent examples of this truth come to mind for me. Friday at work several flaming darts were hurled my way in quick succession, taking the form of intentional truth twisting, and mocking. For probably 98% of the conversation I responded well, but the remaining 2% potentially erased all of that, as I failed to use gentle words to turn away wrath. My frustrated response enflamed the whole conversation, and possibly hurt my witness for Christ. The second example occurred at the abortion mill on Saturday. An angry and agitated atheist, spewing murder and hatred pulled up to the curb, hopped out, and began threatening Pastor Joseph. My response: I am going to cut this conversation off at the knees, because how dare this man speak to us this way. And I attempted to do just that. Oh, I think imade my point, but I am sure I failed to honor God in that moment. Brothers and sisters, The Lord’s bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will (2 Timothy 2: 24-26). Have all of your words been gentle? Have you honored God this week as you responded to your needy husband, your relentless children, your chatty wife, or your heathen co-worker? If you are able, let us kneel and confess how we have failed to keep God’s Law by using our words in ways that fail to honor Him as LORD. Dear Heavenly Father, All of Your Words to us are delightful, meant for our good. They are a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. We are Your children, created in Your image, and as such, it is our duty to reflect You in ways that accurately portray Your character. LORD, when we answer with harsh words, hasty words, words meant for hurt, rather than healing, we fail to honor You and we fail to love our neighbor. Please forgive us oh LORD for our flaming tongues that leave behind seared consciences, and please grant us repentance, that we might instead offer words of life to those that are hurting, confused, ignorant, and perishing. Help us to remember LORD that it is not is the sternness of our voice, nor in the eloquence of our arguments in which lost men and women are saved, but in the power of Your Word. It’s in the precious name of Your Son Jesus that we pray, Amen. Listen now to the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the gospel to all that believe: But one has testified somewhere, saying, “What is man, that You remember him? Lift up your hearts!!! (From the liturgy of Sovereign King Church. Written by Aaron Sabie.)
 The Psalm writer wrote: "Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law." As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received. This is the word of God. It is eternally true and applicable for all of life: Proverbs 15:21-33 Folly is joy to him who lacks sense, But a man of understanding walks straight. Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed. A man has joy in an apt answer, And how delightful is a timely word! The path of life leads upward for the wise That he may keep away from Sheol below. The Lord will tear down the house of the proud, But He will establish the boundary of the widow. Evil plans are an abomination to the Lord, But pleasant words are pure. He who profits illicitly troubles his own house, But he who hates bribes will live. The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous. Bright eyes gladden the heart; Good news puts fat on the bones. He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof Will dwell among the wise. He who neglects discipline despises himself, But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding. The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom,And before honor comes humility. A man has joy in an apt answer, and how delightful is a timely word. Pleasant words are pure. Good news puts fat on the bones. On this Easter Sunday, we can say with certainty, that there are no words more delightful, more pure, than the Good News, the gospel of our LORD Jesus Christ, Who said: “ Do not be afraid; I Am the First and the Last, and the Living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” It is the Gospel which is the power of salvation for those who believe, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. How have you neglected the good news this past week? Have you walked in a way that suggests you do not truly believe the gospel, keeping your light hidden under a shade, rather than burning bright for those stumbling in darkness to see? Have the meditations of your heart been on the things above, on your LORD Jesus, or on those things that are perishable, that never provide lasting joy and peace? How about your words? Have they been seasoned with salt, pointing people to the cross of Christ, have they been timely and pure, or have you been mute while your friends, family, and colleagues stumble towards hell? If you are able to, please kneel. Let us confess how we have failed to keep God’s Law by not being faithful to share the Good News with the lost and dying world: Most High God, We come before you this morning as sinners saved by grace through faith in our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. We recognize that apart from Your Son Jesus, there is no merit, no work, no inherent goodness that we can display before you that would lead you to save us; on the contrary, all we deserve from You is Your wrath. Help us to believe this. Heavenly Father, you have condescended toward us by sending Your Son Jesus into this world to save sinners from the wrath to come, and this is good news. LORD, we have sinned against You. When we had opportunities to shine Your light into darkness this past week, we shrank back, fearing man and his wrath, rather than You. Please forgive us. Master, You alone are worthy of praise, and honor, and glory, yet we have been frequently drawn away this week by perishable things that we allow to have footholds in our hearts and minds. Father please be merciful to us. LORD, You ordained circumstances for us this week which permitted us to engage in conversation with those who walk in darkness, and rather than share timely words of good news, we chose to instead speak trivialities, sounding like noisy gongs and clanging cymbals. Please forgive us. Please help us to believe Your promise when You tell us that when we confess our sins, You are faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. It’s in Jesus name we pray, Amen. Listen now to the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the gospel to all that believe: For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer And give heed to the voice of my supplications! In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, For You will answer me. There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, Nor are there any works like Yours. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And they shall glorify Your name. For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God. - Psalm 86:6-10 Lift up your hearts to the Lord!! (From the liturgy of Sovereign King Church) Written by Aaron Sabie.
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